IOA home | search | find us | UNC Home

Workforce Aging Program

The workforce is aging in many sectors of the economy and government – most of the projected growth in labor force through 2050 will be composed of workers aged 55 and over. This increase in older workers will influence the number of workers who retire based on age eligibility. With this said, many workers may have to retire later to supplement the private (if any) and public components of their retirement income. Workforce aging will affect the organization of work across public and private organizations including state government.

The Workforce Aging Program includes a number of research projects dealing with the aging of the workforce, older workers and engagement, careers and labor markets, and transitions to retirement. Examples of some central themes to our projects, which are informed by the life course perspective in the social sciences, are: age relations in the workplace, educational and workforce planning and preparation, aging workforce policies and practices and workplace and workforce diversity.